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Rebecca Lowe is a British television anchor, who previously worked for the BBC. She has since inked a deal with NBC and NBC Sports, and will be covering the 2018 Winter Olympics. Lowe is married to Paul Buckle, the former coach of the Sacramento Republic F.C. in the United Soccer League.
News that Buckle had stepped down from coaching the Sacramento Republic F.C. was reported on February 1.
“Sacramento Republic FC and Paul Buckle have mutually agreed for him to step down as the club’s head coach and technical director, according to news release distributed Thursday morning,” the Sacramento Bee reported.
Buckle has had an impressive career in professional soccer, playing In several leagues in the UK before becoming a coach and manager. After marrying Lowe, he moved to the United States and continued his coaching/managing career.
Here is what you need to know:
1. He & Lowe Got Married in Greece
In a 2012 interview with the Daily Mail, Lowe admitted that she had been sharing a living space with her then-boyfriend, Paul Buckle. At the time, the two had been working in the UK and were living in Wiltshire, a county in England that is due west of Bristol.
Buckle and Lowe got married on June 12, 2013. The two decided to have a very small, private wedding, choosing the gorgeous island of Santorini, Greece, as the backdrop.
Since tying the knot, the two enjoy spending time with their son, staying physically active, and enjoying a friendly competition every now and again.
“We met in England. Obviously, we’ve got an awful lot in common in terms of what we like. She’s very sporty. She loves to keep fit. I’m doing everything I can. She beat me in half-marathon last year, which I still can’t get over. We agreed that we would run it together. We trained together. We agreed that we must finish together, and with two miles to go, she opened up on me. So that’s what I’m dealing with. We’re very competitive,” Buckle told the Daily News back in 2015.
2. He Lives in California With Lowe & Their Son, Edward
Buckle lives in California, but has also spent a good deal of time in Connecticut with his wife, as that’s where she works. In 2015, the couple left Connecticut and moved into an apartment in Sacramento, but Lowe was forced to GO back on the east coast for her job.
“Paul’s been so busy with the new job that we haven’t really decided yet how we’re going to make it work,” Lowe told the Daily News in 2015.
Lowe does travel for work as NBCSN is based in Stamford, Connecticut.
Buckle and Lowe welcomed their son, Edward (whom they lovingly call Teddy), in 2016. Buckle has two other children, Chloe and Johnny, from a previous marriage. It is suspected that he and Lowe have a relationship with them as her Instagram bio reads “stepmum.”
3. He Played Professional Soccer For Several Leagues
Buckle has made over 500 appearances as a professional soccer player, according to his LinkedIn page.
He began his professional soccer career in 1989, playing for Brentford Football Club in Greater London. After about five dozen games, Buckle left Brentford and signed with Torquay United in 1994. The following year, he signed with Exeter City. He only stayed with the team for one year, but this time it wasn’t his choice; Exeter couldn’t afford to pay Buckle his salary, and so he was forced to play for another team.
Buckle’s next stops included playing for Northampton Town, Wycombe Wanderers, and Colchester United. In 1999, Buckle went back to Exeter and signed a two-year deal. He was sidelined with an ankle injury in the very first game of the season; Buckle recovered from his injury and played in 41 games the following season.
In 2002, Buckle joined Aldershot Town and then dropped down a division to play for Weymouth the following year. At that time, he also started coaching, and had been hired by Exeter as a youth-team coach.
A short time later, Buckle landed the gig of “caretaker manager” at Weymouth when the club needed a replacement for Steve Claridge, but it didn’t take long for Buckle to be on the move once again. He played for Exeter and Tiverton Town in 2004, and ultimately returned to Exeter in 2005 as a player-coach, while still continuing to play. He later became assistant manager of the club, leading him to the role that he holds today.
4. He Was the Head Coach of Sacramento Republic
Buckle was an assistant manager with Exeter before becoming the manager of Torquay United in 2007. Four years passed before Buckle decided to leave Torquay United for a managing position at Bristol Rovers. In 2012, he managed Luton Town before moving to the U.S. and landing a job managing Metropolitan Oval in New York in 2013.
In 2014, Buckle returned to England, without his wife, to take a managing job with Cheltenham Town, but that didn’t last long. He ended up leaving to move back to the United States and taking a job with Sacramento Republic in 2015.
Three months after starting with Sacramento Republic, Buckle became the Technical Director. Buckle has been with Sacramento Republic up until the end of January 2018.
5. He Graduated From the USSF Pro License Course in December 2017
In December 2017, Lowe uploaded a sweet tribute to her husband, congratulating him on his completion of the United States Soccer Federation Pro License.
“The primary objectives of the current Pro Course are for each coach to develop and improve the habits of a coach learning from one’s own experiences, to work on and improve the individualized needs of each coach’s personal development and to become more competent and proficient in their coaching tasks.”
Upon completing the course, Buckle became “the first coach in the world to hold both the US Soccer Pro License and the UEFA Pro License,” according to Lowe. She went on to praise her husband, who completed the 12-month course all while being a “brilliant dad and husband.”
“I’ve watched him work so hard this past year to get this qualification at the same time as leading Sacramento Republic FC and being a brilliant dad and husband. He’s never stopped working, never stopped wanting to improve himself, never once given up when times got tough. I couldn’t be prouder of him and am blessed that he’s such an example to Chloe, Johnny, and little Teddy,” Lowe posted on Instagram.
Buckle worked with U.S. Soccer National Coach Educator Wim van Zwam, whom he spoke very highly of.
“Professionally, they showed so much respect to me as a head coach in terms of when Wim came in to analyze me in my working environment twice. He would always ask, ‘Can I do this? Do you mind me being here?’ And I opened every door, from the training field, to individual meetings with players, group meetings, pregame, postgame and halftime. Wim was there. So he was brought in as part of the staff. I received invaluable feedback, incredible feedback. The details that U.S. Soccer have put into this license have been phenomenal,” Buckle said in a news piece for Sacramento Republic F. C.’s website.
While still a kid, Buckle attended the Monk’s Walk School in Welwyn Garden City, England.
